Since the beginning of July, the first German overhead catenary road test site near Frankfurt has been fully operational. It runs Scania R 450 hybrid trucks equipped with pantographs. The last of the five trucks were recently delivered to German building materials supplier Knauf.
"This pilot project fits well with our commitment to using all resources responsibly," says Knauf Group Manager Christoph Dorn. "We hope this will give us insight that will help us make our logistics processes even more sustainable, especially in metropolitan areas."
The other four overhead trucks are operated by Schanz, Meyer Logistics, Contargo, and Merck. Now, with all five trucks cruising the five-kilometer electrified section of the A5 motorway daily, data will be collected for several studies to explore the benefits of electric roads.
"If the reviews are positive and if about one-third of Germany's motorway network is equipped with electrical contact lines, in the future, about 80 percent of heavy trucks registered in Germany will be able to operate electrically using this technology. This will make a significant contribution to reducing carbon emissions," explains Kerstgens.
The section of the A5 motorway in Hesse is one of three test contact lines in Germany. The second section of the road was opened in Schleswig-Holstein (A1) at the end of 2019, and the last tests will begin at the end of 2020 in Baden-Württemberg (B462).